Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1887-12-14

| the collection from the people Of nm
necessary revenue, and have, in the most
solemn manner promised It's correction; ana
| neither as citizens nor partisans are our
| countrymen in a mood to con6one the de-
| liberate violation of these pledges Our
| progress toward wise conclusion will not
| be improved by dwelling upon the theories
| of protection and free trade. This sayOrs
| TOO much of bandying epithets 1t is a con-
dition which confronts us, not theory.
Relief from this condition may involve
slight reduction of the advantages which we
, award our home productions, but the entire
withdrawal of such advantages should not
) be contemplated.
THE QUESTION OF FREE TRADE
| is absolutely Irrelevant, and the persistent
claim made in certain quarters that all
efforts to save the people from unjust and
Unnecessary taxation are schemes of SO
called free traders is mischievOuS and FAR
removed from any consideration for The
| public good. The simple and plain duty
which we owe the people Is to reduce taxa
ton to the necessary expense OF an econ ON
zeal operation of the government, and TO re-
store to the business of the country the
money which we hold in the treasury
through the perversion of governmental
powers These things can and should be
done with safety to all our industries, with
out danger to the opportunity for femun-
erative labor which our workingmen need
and with benefit to them and all our people,
by cheapening their means of subsistence
and increasing the measure Of their COM
forts. The constitution provides that the
president shall. from time to time, give 60
the congress information of the state of the
Union" 1t has been the custom of the ex-
ecut1ve, in compliance with this provision.
to annually exhibit TO the congress. at the
opening of its session. the general condition
of the country, and to detail, with some par
tlcularity, the operations of the different
executive departments. 1t would be espec-
tally agreeable to follow this course at the
present time, and to call attention to the
valuable accomplishments of these depart
ments during the last fiscal year. But l am
so much impressed with the paramount i'm
portance of the subject to which this COM
munication has thus far been de-
voted, that I shall forego the
addition of any other topic, and
ton the state of the Union" as shown in
the present condition of our treasury and
our general fiscal condition, upon which
every element of our safety and prosperity
depends. The reports of the heads of depart
ments, which will be submitted, contain full
and explicit Information touching the trans
actions of the business intrusted to them,
and such recommendations relating to legis-
laGion in the public interest as they deem
advisable. l ask for these reports and rec
concentrations the deliberate examination
and action of the legislative branch of the
government There are other subjects not
embraced in the departmental reports de-
manding legislative consideration and which
/ should be glad to submit Some of them,
however, have been earnestly presented in
previous messages, and as to them, beg
leave to repeat prior recommendations AS
the law makes no provision for any report
from the department of state, brief history
of the transactions of that important depart
ment, together with other matters which it
may hereafter be deemed essential to COM
mend to the attention OF the congress, may
furnish the occasion for a future communl-
cation. GROVER CLEVELAND.
Washington, Dec 6, 1887.